Single equality duty – section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 which allows employers to promote or recruit a person because of one of the nine protected characteristics: age, gender, race, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief and sex and sexual orientation applies from 6 April.

Flexible working – the planned extension of the right to request flexible working for a child under 18 applies from April.

Additional paternity leave – the right for an eligible employee to take up to 26 weeks additional paternity leave applies for parents of babies born on or after 3 April. The right also extends to adoptive parents.

Agency worker regulation – the regulations that give agency workers the same rights as permanent employees apply from 1 October 2011.